(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Almost two years after St. Ignatius Catholic Church closed, a food pantry in Rogers Park has resurrected its mission of service.
Bags of oranges, boxes of macaroni and other groceries are stacked neatly on the shelves at Ignatian Mission Center at Clark and Greenleaf.
In the first week after they opened on Feb. 7, the temporary site served 101 people.
Pantry Director Dayana Mizhquiri said many recipients are asylum seekers from Venezuela, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Acting Executive Director Liam Ford says the pantry is the first step in a larger vision that includes social and spiritual services following the Jesuit tradition of caring for the whole person.
The mainly volunteer board is working with the Chicago Archdiocese and is reviewing a feasibility study about how to repurpose the rectory and church basement at the old St. Ignatius campus.
Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) was on hand for the center’s blessing by Bishop Mark Bartosic.
Other charities have stepped up to address the major need since the parish closed in 2021, but she says it’s great to have a central location available to residents and refugees.
Mission Center Board Member Sylvia Zaldivar says they are raising funds and making plans for temporary housing for domestic violence victims, legal services and other possibilities in a permanent space.
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